Status update:



My son is doing a lot better. He shows no signs of being afraid of dogs. We let him pet our yellow lab and he was very excited. He also wanted to pet the rottie, but I wouldn’t let him because I don’t want him getting anymore attached to him (not because I’m afraid of him attacking).



My wife and I have decided to try to find a home for him. This will be very tough because we want to do it fast, and we have to find the RIGHT home for him – not just some ‘joe’ off the street. For example – no young kids or plans to have any, experience with rotties (owning, training, ect), fenced yard, full understanding that this dog has bitten once already, ect…



We’ve contacted shelters and pure-bred rescue agencies, and they won’t touch a dog that has in anyway bitten someone.



We have a few leads that we are following up with, including a few guys on this board. If the leads don’t pan out then we may be forced to put him down.



Grumpyr, if it comes to it, I agree with your approach, that is what I did with my wife’s old german shepherd that could no longer walk and was in a lot of pain (I discussed this in a post above). I know many of you feel I have waited too long already, but I’m not going to make this call until I’ve thoroughly explored alternatives.



As for the idea of re-training and seeking professional dog behaviorist, the time to do that is past in this case. While I agree that it is possible for life to go somewhat back to normal (including the dog), if we ever allowed this to happen again, especially by the same dog (who was supposed to have been re-trained), then I would have to agree with some of the others here and say that my wife and I would deserve to be taken out and shot….



Oh, and Sam is up-to-date on his rabies shot. So I’m not concerned about any medical or legal issues with taking the bullet solution. As long as it’s done right, dead is dead – one way is just harder for some to handle now days.



As for any finger pointing, well you are right. My wife and I are to blame and take full responsibility as to what happened. It was a 30 second mistake that turned out to be very costly.



We have a rule that no child plays with Sam without strict supervision. My number 1 concern is that the dog will simply knock the kid down and cause an injury that way. And we do play together as a family almost daily. And I purposely pull his ears (he has no tail) and other things a child may try to do. In our nearly 5 years, he’s been nothing but a happy, oversized lap dog.

In this instance, the dog was allowed in the house and put in his bed where he knows he’s supposed to stay (and always has. We also have baby gates separating his room from the areas the kids play). My wife was upstairs feeding our 4mo old and my 2yr old was in the next room playing loudly. She forgot to close the gate, and the dog decided to come see what all the noise was about. My wife heard him come up the stairs, but she did not immediately react. 30 seconds later she heard a brief snarl. She ran in saw Aidan bleeding and the dog hiding low in the closet – knowing he’d just screwed up. Later our son was able to tell us that he had tried to give the dog a hug around the neck. My wife will always bear the guilt of knowing she could have avoided this.



Any breed of dog would more than likely have responded the same way. Sam is just bigger and stronger than most. He is also used to our 1yr old lab harassing him, and he often lays into him to get him off his back. Of course the lab is quick and has thick fur, so he has never even had a scratch as a result. I think Sam expected this same thing from Aidan, not realizing that a 2yr old’s skin is like butter.



As for you who want to understand why I owned a rottie to begin with, well I grew up with rotties. My mother was a rottie breeder and never had any temperament issues with her dogs. I chose a rottie for my family because I know a lot about the breed and loved my mom’s dogs. My wife is a runner (I’m not so much…) and when I couldn’t be with her, I felt safer with her running with a big scary looking dog to deter flakes – even if we realized he’d probably lick a stranger to death. I have stacks of books on rotties, I did tons of online research, my wife has extensive experience training German shepherds, and we spent several months looking for just the right puppy from the right breeder. Sam had such a good temperament, that many wanted us to consider breeding him. We did the responsible thing and had him fixed. We also considered taking him to training to become a volunteer in hospitals and nursing homes. I am not another white trash jerk looking for a junkyard watchdog and overall ego booster.

Rotties are one of the highest registered dogs in the country. Unfortunately, many people are breeding them for a quick buck and don’t care who buys them. There are many idiots out there who get these dogs for all the wrong reasons, abuse them, don’t bother training them, tie them up in the back yard, and are surprised when the dog finally gets loose and does some damage. Of all the dog attacks and bites from various breeds that occur, the rottie makes the news because he is scary, big, and powerful. Had my rottie been from a junkyard line, and not been trained, and had been neglected, and he had actually been trying to attack my son (and not just the quick snap that he did), the results would clearly be worse. And my wife and I should be tossed in jail. As it is, we are very responsible, knowledgeable dog owners and parents who made a mistake and are now paying the price. Just like if I took my eyes off the road for a second and caused a terrible accident – it could happen to anyone on any given day.



Also, if my lab or my rottie ever attacked a neighbor kid, provoked or not, I wouldn’t wait for my neighbor to shoot him, I would take care of it myself. I am responsible for my dog’s actions and am also responsible for keeping him from being harassed (thus, being put in a position to want to defend himself). I would then expect my neighbor to want to kick my a$$ at first, and maybe even try to sue me.



I’ve also heard a few of you mention that sometimes you think it would be better to kick your dog, or otherwise take physical action to put him in his place. This is not a good idea and any experienced dog handler would agree. Establishing dominance, when done properly, is good. Making your dog scared of you, can turn him into a fear biter – or at least a carpet pi$$er. Either way it’s not good. Rotties don’t take well to physical abuse/correction especially.



Anyway, I’d like to wrap this post up as I don’t want to see this turned into any more mud slinging.



Rest assured that I will handle this in a thoughtful, responsible manner, and do what’s best for my family, the dog, and the general community. I really appreciate all your advice and opinions.



The rivers are dopping – let’s get back to fishing!!!!!!!!!!!! (:



-Chad